Huge swathes of Bristol city centre will be closed this Sunday as tens of thousands of runners take to the streets for the Great Bristol Half Marathon.

The city centre and Portway will be awash with more than 10,000 runners tackling the famous 13.1 mile course, with many people raising thousands of pounds for good causes by taking part. The race was first held back in 1989 and has since become a long-held tradition in Britain's annual running calendar.

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The course will take runners under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, with spectacular views along the Avon Gorge and Bristol Harbourside, before entering the city centre. This means a number of roads in the centre of Bristol and beyond will be closed all day on Sunday and a number of diversions will be in place.

This is everything you need to know about watching the race and travelling around the centre of Bristol on Sunday.

What is this year's Great Bristol Half Marathon route?

The Great Bristol Half Marathon 2017 route.

The course will start on Anchor Road, close to the Jacob's Wells roundabout, before heading out along the Portway under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Runners will then make their way along the Portway past Sea Mills up to the edge of Shirehampton Golf Course, before turning around and heading back towards the city centre. They will then cross onto Spike Island, running along Cumberland Road, before heading around Queen Square, Redcliffe and Castle Park.

The final stretch of the race runs through the centre via St Augustine's Parade, leading up to the finish line on Anchor Road by Bristol Aquarium.

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Road closures

There will be a rolling program of road closures starting from Anchor Road at 03:00 on Sunday, in order to ensure a safe running route for the 10,000 runners taking part. All roads should be reopened by 18:00.

The roads which will be closed during the Great Bristol Half Marathon 2017. (Image: Travelwest)

Roads will be reopened in phases once each section is clear of runners, litter and event infrastructure. During the road closures vehicular access will not be possible, unless otherwise stated or pre-agreed.

A number of roads within designated 'zones' will be shut throughout the day on Sunday. The details of roads closed within each zone are as follows:

If you're either competing in or watching this weekend's race, you are urged to travel into the city centre by using a Park and Ride service or public transport. However, if you need to travel by car, organisers are warning a number of city centre car parks will be closed due to the road closures in place.

Drivers should also follow the signs in place rather than sat-nav devices on the day.

Park and Ride services from Long Ashton will be in operation.

The following central multi-storey car parks will be open and accessible to the public on Sunday 17 September:

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Park and Ride services will be in operation from 7am onwards from both the Long Ashton and Brislington sites. Buses will run at regular intervals until 15.00. The Portway park and ride will not be running on the day.

Prices from both sites are £3 for an adult return, £1.50 for children aged five to 15.

Race timings

The event village will open at 07.30 on Sunday morning, while the start assembly area will open at 08.30.

The Wheelchair race will start at 09.15 before the first wave of main event runners set off at 09.30. Runners will then set off in groups until approximately 09.55.